We are officially over halfway through the second week of the spring semester! The students are gradually "getting back into the groove" as they adjust to their new schedules and new classes. The spring semester provides great opportunities to socialize, to renew involvement in organizations you joined last semester, or to join new organizations all together! In light of the new semester, I want to take this post to talk about a few of the things I have been involved with since I started this semester.

University Ambassador Erin Strickland addresses post cards to send to prospective students :)

First, University Ambassadors! Every semester, WWU Admissions hires a few new students to work as University Ambassadors (UAs), filling the spots of the students who just graduated. UAs are the students you meet when you come to visit campus as a prospective student; we give you tours and host you and your families/friends for lunch in Tucker! It is also a paid position on campus, so I would highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys meeting new people and is looking for a chance to make a little extra money while on campus. I have been a UA ever since the spring semester of my sophomore year, and I have loved every second of it! Since I love William Woods almost as much as I love meeting new people, being a UA has been a perfect fit for me. I missed giving tours and hosting lunches while I was away at my internships last semester, so I'm definitely glad to be back!

Second, ODK! Omicron Delta Kappa is a national leadership honor society that students qualify for by showing themselves to be leaders on campus. ODK recognizes leaders in every field, from academics to arts to athletics. Every year in February, ODK hosts a leadership conference, featuring a keynote speaker followed by various breakout sessions. This year, the conference will be held on Saturday, February 22 and the theme is "Leadership After The Woods." We have finished with the general planning and are now moving into the more specific aspects; tomorrow I'm meeting with the coordinator of the LEAD program, Debbie Schick, to talk about her presentation topic. The conference usually goes over really well, so I'm excited to see how this year's pans out!

Third, Tucker! "But wait!" you say. "Tucker isn't an organization I can join." Well, no, not technically. But no conversation about socializing or getting involved on campus is complete without taking a couple of minutes to discuss the dining hall. Some students who are used to bigger schools express surprise when they find out that we only have one main dining hall here on campus and that they are only open for specific hours during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I think I prefer it that way, though, because you can't help but run into your friends every time you go eat! Students tend to unconsciously gravitate towards the same general tables, too, so it's easy to find you group. There have been countless occasions where I have gone to Tucker expecting to grab a quick bite, only to end up spending an hour there because I got caught up in conversation with my friends. I guess my main comment is this: when you're thinking about ways to spend time with your friends on campus, don't understimate the power of Tucker!

I recognize that, at first glance, this post seems to combine several unrelated topics, but the three things I mentioned are all things that have been occupying a lot of my time as I "get into the groove" of my last semester. Obviously, there are many more opportunities for involvement than the ones I just mentioned here - the Student Activities Council hosted a free bowling night last week, the theatre department has already auditioned and begun rehearsals for their first show, and the sororities and fraternities are already planning their philanthropy weeks for this semester! I love how many different opportunities WWU provides. Whether your are looking for a chance to get involved in every possible organization or simply to hang out with your friends during lunch, William Woods could be the perfect fit for you!

Well, it's official! The spring 2014 semester has begun. All the students moved back into their rooms yesterday and classes started today! I'm definitely very excited to be back on campus after being gone all last semester for my internships, although I have to admit that it did feel a little weird to actually move in again. It feels like it's been forever since I lived on campus!

Me and my little sis finally reunited!

It's good to be back, though. On Mondays and Wednesdays I have a class called Visionary Leadership, and it's one of the last classes that I need to graduate! There are only seven people in it, which I think will lend itself to some great class discussions. I am also taking the communication capstone course and a legal studies class called Law, Ethics, and Morality. I imagine I will be writing a lot about my communication capstone class - from what I hear, it will be a lot of work! The legal studies class will be fun, too; I'm looking forward to evaluating some current social issues and examining both sides of the arguments. Finally, I'm taking the theatre senior project class, in which I will work with other graduating seniors to put on a show! It's going to be busy, but I think it will be a lot of fun!

Of course, my excitement to be back on campus goes much farther than just getting used to my new classes! I got my room all set up last night and I was finally reunited with Kassi, my amazing little sis in the Alpha Chi house! It is so great to see everyone again. I definitely missed being on campus last semester much more than I anticipated, so it is really great to be able to come back and enjoy spending time with everyone again for my last semester!

The doors to our rooms are magnetic, which make it really easy to decorate them any way we want!

Well, I think that about wraps up this post... Since school is back underway, I will once again be posting every week! I hope you'll stick around as I journey through my last semester. Maybe I'll even get to meet some of you at one of the campus visit days or if you come get a tour!

Most of us imagine what our careers will look like after we graduate—some in more detail than others. Some students have every last detail of their future jobs planned out. Others have a vague idea of what they want to do with their lives, but they never really took the time to legitimately determine what exactly they wanted to do and/or how to go about it.

Amy Dittmer: the incredible person responsible for Career-A-Palooza!

I fall into that last category. Luckily for me, William Woods University has been there to help me determine what my career aptitudes are and how to go about preparing to search for a job. This last week, WWU hosted a series of LEAD events called “Career-A-Palooza” designed to help students learn the tricks of the job market trade.

Amy Dittmer is the director of career services and student transition at WWU. Basically, that means that her job is to help students like you and I find jobs! She hosted each of the events this week, focusing on current relevant topics such as how to build a resume and write a cover letter, how to specifically tailor your resume and cover letter to the job you are applying for, and how to use LinkedIn to your networking advantage.

Almost every college and university has someone like Amy who is supposed to help the soon-to-be graduates find work, but William Woods University is the only school to provide events on this important topic that students can receive financial scholarships from attending. That’s the incredible thing about WWU; everyone here really goes above and beyond to help us, the students, succeed. It is truly amazing to get to be part of such an incredible support system!